The Italian pork shoulder stew is a classic Italian Spezzatino (diced and slow cooked meat). This tasty recipe requires a several-hours-cooking but it’s pretty easy to make. The potatoes and peas pair perfectly with the pork, and form a whole meal in a single dish! In this case, I used the pork shoulder, but you can prefer your favorite meat: in Italy, it is very common make stews using beef or lamb, or mixing different types of meats. The stew will be delicious just cooked, but even better one or two days after!

The Imperial Soup (Zuppa Imperiale) is a typical Bolognese soup: fluffy semolina dough is baked, then reduced into small dices, and finally cooked with a fragrant meat stock. This recipe is a traditional, kid-friendly, option for family gatherings! The preparation of the Imperial Soup is fast and easy. It’s possible to bake and dice this tasty dough in advance, and quickly boil it into meat or vegetable broth just before serving!

Eggplant pasta with prosciutto dices is a quick and tasty Italian recipe. I love serve this sauce along with any kind of short pasta, but the shape I prefer is Garganelli: an Emilian kind of maccheroni very traditional in Bologna, my birth city. Deep fried eggplants give a characteristic flavor, but if you prefer an healthier choice you can bake them, considering that the taste will be good but not the same. I like complete this eggplant pasta with Ricotta Salata cheese, but Pecorino is perfect as well!

The Italian rice cake, called also “Torta degli Addobbi” is a simple and tasty dessert of the Emilian tradition. Originally, this cake had been prepared for the “Festa degli Addobbi”, a medieval festivity where colored drapes were showed out from the windows. But, currently is common serve rice cake all year long. Arborio rice is slowly cooked into the milk and spices, then the mixture is baked into the oven at medium temperature. Liquor, brushed over the cake when it is still hot is fundamental to obtain the characteristic, sticky crust. Serve the rice cake cold, after stored a few hours into the fridge.